Sports Facilities Technology

Xirrus Outfits Gillette Stadium with Wireless Network

Xirrus has outfitted Gillette Stadium with a wireless network that will serve its premium seating areas.

The high-performance wireless networks provider will enable Club members in Gillette Stadium’s Putnam Club to access exclusive video content on their smart phones instantaneously on game days.

Xirrus, a provider of high-performance wireless networks, notes an estimate from Gillette Stadium officials, according to which up to one-third of Putnam Club guests will stream video content at any given time.

Gillette Stadium was searching for a first-class Wi-Fi solution that could deliver hardwire-caliber reliability at a great scale. It decided to use Xirrus Wireless Arrays, which results in four times the coverage, eight times the bandwidth and eight times the capacity of a traditional wireless network.

The new wireless network will allow the 6,000 fans in the Putnam Club to use the stadium’s new proprietary smart phone application to instantly view the NFL Network’s Red Zone channel, four exclusive camera angles, a continuous loop of an instant replay of the previous play, highlights from earlier in the game, real-time statistics and information.

“We strive to provide a top-notch game day experience for our fans,” said Fred Kirsch, Patriots vice president of content. “Delivering high-quality video content to smart phones is part of our vision for providing a premium experience to fans in the Putnam Club, and Xirrus is helping to make that vision a reality.”

“As the number of users of smart phones and other wireless devices grow, so does the demand for uninterrupted access to sophisticated content on those same gadgets. Football stadiums are just the type of large, densely-packed areas that are going to be challenged to fulfill this mandate from customers,” said Steven Wastie, chief marketing officer at Xirrus. “Today, Gillette Stadium and Xirrus are both at the cutting edge of delivering on this promise.”